Ellie defies odds to achieve dream
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THE mother of a disabled Caithness girl who has spent her whole life in a wheelchair has paid tribute to a martial arts teacher for giving her daughter a new lease of life.
Ellie McIver (9), of Clett Terrace, Scrabster, was diagnosed with Dandy-Walker syndrome and cerebral palsy when her mother Fiona was still pregnant at 32 weeks.
Despite being confined to a wheelchair, she has never let her condition get the better of her and after being involved in kuk sool won for just over a year, she celebrated receiving her yellow belt this month.
Her extremely proud 43-year-old mother said Ellie would never have been able to achieve what she had in the sport without the help and support of her instructor Cath Smith.
Mrs McIver, who works as a full-time carer, said the support and encouragement her daughter had received from Mrs Smith had given Ellie a new-found confidence.
"I can’t praise Cath enough for what she has done for my daughter and it is amazing to see the change in her due to her being involved in this group," she said.
"Being involved in kuk sool won has given her a lot more confidence in her ability to do things and I put that all down to the person who has been teaching her. She is learning skills which will enable her not just to defend herself when none of us are around to help, but also how to be involved in a group.
"She is a lovable girl anyway but being involved in this group has made her much more friendlier and happier in herself and this is due to the confidence that kuk sool has given her."
Due to her condition, Ellie, a pupil at Pennyland Primary School, was blind for the first few months of her life and is due to have an operation at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness next month to straighten both her limbs.
She got involved with martial arts after seeing her brother Callum and twin sister Gemma taking part in a tournament in Glasgow last year.
She then got involved in kul sool when she took part in exercises adapted for her arms and not using her legs.
With the group, she was able to take part in several demonstrations of the martial art this summer and her mother said being involved in the group had taught her that being in a wheelchair did not mean she could not get involved in activities.
Her instructor, known as her Sabumnim, has been amazed with how much Ellie has achieved in just more than a year and said she fully deserved her yellow belt.
But Cath, who is a fourth degree black belt and has been involved in the sport for 22 years, said she expected her student to aim higher and believes she is more than capable of reaching her goals.
"The most notable change I have seen in Ellie is the amount of upper-body strength she has developed compared to 12 months ago," she said.
"When we used to practise break falls, she would need help to pull herself up but now she can do this on her own.
"Her muscles are getting a lot stronger and she has proven to be an excellent student.
"The yellow belt is the first stage but as long as she goes at her own pace and ability, there is no reason why she can’t go a lot higher and perhaps compete herself."
